In Diana’s footsteps: Prince William visits iconic Christ the Redeemer statue 34 years after his mother made her historic trip to Rio
Prince William has movingly recreated a picture taken by his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, 34 years ago, at the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro this morning.
On his third day in Brazil, the Prince of Wales, 43, paused for a quiet moment of reflection at the exact spot where the late Princess of Wales posed in 1991, during a six-day tour of the country with the then-Prince Charles.
In perfect sunny conditions, William followed in his mother’s footsteps as he travelled to the summit of the Corcovado Mountain in Rio to marvel at the 98-foot-tall monument.
Completed in 1931, it was designed by Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by Paul Landowski, depicting Jesus Christ with arms outstretched. The global icon is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
+19
View gallery
Prince William has movingly recreated a picture taken by his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, 34 years ago
+19
View gallery
The princess visited the tourist attraction in 1991 on a visit to the city with her then-husband, Prince Charles
The Prince spoke to them about their experience of the Earthshot Prize Finalist Programme, the project running alongside the Prize to support each of the finalists for a year in their bid to market their innovations.
He was escorted by Rio’s Mayor, Eduardo Paes, and met with the deputy major, Eduardo Cavaliere, and his wife who was carrying their two-month-old baby Maria Beatrice.
William cooed over her and asked her whether she was sleeping well. ‘That’s the key,’ he beamed.
He also told award finalists : ‘Don’t be too nervous!’
Father Omar then took William to visit the Chapel underneath the statue.
Charles and Diana’s 1991 tour saw the couple visit the capital Brasilia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and the Amazon-located city of Carajás in the state of Pará.
The former Prince of Wales focused on environmental issues, including a day-long seminar on conservation aboard the royal yacht Britannia near the mouth of the Amazon River, co-hosted with Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello.
In São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Princess Diana made headlines for holding hands and cuddling children with HIV/AIDS without hesitation, a significant gesture at a time of widespread stigma and misunderstanding about the disease.
+19
View gallery
Princess Diana is pictured admiring Rio de Janeiro on her visit in April 1991
+19
View gallery
William today followed in his mother’s footsteps by looking out over the same view
+19
View gallery
Prince William, Prince of Wales (C) meets the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists at Christ the Redeemer during day three of his visit to Brazil
+19
View gallery
On his third day in Brazil, the Prince of Wales paused for a quiet moment of reflection at the exact spot where the late Princess of Wales posed in 1991
Diana’s work on humanitarian causes was given extra focus with visits to hospitals and centres for abandoned children across the tour, many of whom were HIV positive or suffering from AIDS.
Newspaper reports at the time highlighted the couple’s increasing strain. While they appeared together at official events, they pursued separate agendas, with a notable distance between them.
The prince spent time with British finalist Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter, whose invention removes microplastics from water pumped out by washing machines and industrial units, preventing them from reaching the ocean.
William told him he was planning on installing his innovative filters to remove microplastics in the washing machines across the royal palaces.
‘An amazing idea,’ William said. ‘We’ll pay full price!’
‘We can definitely do that,’ Adam said.
Adam from Essex developed the filter at his mother-in-law’s dining table, supported by a £250 grant from The Prince’s Trust, now The King’s Trust, to begin building his invention.
The business started off by building filters for household washing machines, but has since raised more than £15m for its work and employs about 45 people.
+19
View gallery
The royal has made an early morning trip to the landmark, known as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World
+19
View gallery
William, 43, today trod in Diana’s footsteps as he took the finalists of his prestigious Earthshot Prize to see the sights of the city
+19
View gallery
+19
View gallery
At the summit, which was closed off to the public for the Prince’s 45-minute visit, William looked over the stunning Guanabara Bay, before turning to recreate his mother’s picture
+19
View gallery
The Prince of Wales meeting the two month old child of vice-mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Cavaliere (right)
A Kensington Palace spokesperson, speaking to the travelling British media contingency, said the Prince ‘has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days. He’s been incredibly struck by the number of people who fondly remember his mother’s visit to this beautiful city’.
The Christ the Redeemer statue was created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski.
Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 98 foot high with a 26 ft pedestal. Its arms stretch a staggering 92 foot wide.
The statue is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone and weighs 635 metric tons.
Standing on top of the 2,300 ft Corcovado Mountain it has become a symbol of Christianity around the world, as well as a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
William will tonight walk the green carpet at his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in the city where the winners of five £1 million prizes will be announced.
The awards are designed to find and accelerate some of the most innovative solutions to the environmental challenges of our age.
All Earthshot Prize Finalists take part in a year-long Finalist Programme – a key part of the wrap-around support provided to each cohort of fifteen.
+19
View gallery
Prince William arrived at the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio to meet his Earthshot prize finalists
+19
View gallery
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes and Prince William, Prince of Wales on a visit to Christ the Redeemer
+19
View gallery
William then had the opportunity to meet and speak to all fifteen Earthshot Prize Finalists
+19
View gallery
William will tonight walk the green carpet at his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in the city where the winners of five £1 million prizes will be announced
+19
View gallery
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes (left) and the Prince of Wales arrive to visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue
They receive mentorship, international visibility, pro-bono legal support, strategic digital and communications advice, and training designed to help accelerate progress and maximise impact.
That support includes access to the Prize’s ambitious global network of businesses, philanthropists, investors and environmental organisations committed to climate action.
Last night, William warned of a ‘nature crisis’ facing the world as he delivered a speech at an anti-wildlife trade summit in Brazil.
The landmark talk was given at the United for Wildlife Summit – thrown by the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s Royal Foundation – in Rio on Tuesday night.
William told the conference that Latin America ‘stands as a global leader in biodiversity and environmental conservation’ and will play a ‘crucial role in shaping the world’s response to nature loss at this decisive moment’.
It came hours after he was gifted an eye-catching scarf, made for him by an indigenous leader, as he met stars from his BBC Earth ‘Guardians’ programme, which aired earlier this year.
During his speech, William said: ‘We all know that we face a nature crisis… with global biodiversity decreasing, climate change accelerating, and environmental crime fuelling ecological decline.
‘As we’ve heard this evening, environmental crime is now one of the most profitable and damaging forms of transnational crime.
‘In the past year alone, over 1.7 million hectares of the Amazon were cleared across this region… much of which is driven by illicit activity.
‘This crime fuels violence and corruption, distorts legitimate economies, and negatively impacts the livelihoods of millions.’
He added: ‘For Indigenous communities, these losses are not just environmental but existential. As forests are destroyed, so are their ancestral lands, sacred sites and even lives.’
William also announced a new partnership between his Royal Foundation and indigenous community leaders who, he said, ‘face deadly consequences’ for standing in the way of illicit activity providing an emergency support fund to help those in immediate danger find safety.
Latin America, he added, recorded 120 environmental protectors killed or who disappeared in 2024 – accounting for more than 80 per cent of all such cases worldwide.
‘These are people taking enormous risks to protect the land and the future we all depend on,’ he said.
‘We cannot manage our forests while their protectors live in fear.
‘Because only by working together can we protect those protecting the future of our planet’s critical ecosystems.’
Prince William’s visit so far has delighted locals and has consisted of exciting engagements.
The royal participated in a game of beach volleyball alongside Olympic star Carolina Solberg on Monday, as he soaked in the sun ahead of his Wednesday presentation of the Earthshot Prize.
The Prince and former Brazil defender Cafu played against each other in a three-a-side match testing the skills of schoolboys from across Rio during a visit to the iconic Maracanã Stadium – Brazil ‘s ‘temple of football’.
